Meet Me At the Court Star Chamber
by willingtodream
Summary: “Heh, he can feel pain!” Ryo Bakura’s wide, innocent brown eyes stared at the wall before him. Why, oh why did this always happen to him? Back in the Arabian lands, they also accused him of stealing.
1. A Foreign Angel

Chapter 1

The Battle of Bosworth occurred on August 22, 1485 marking the end of Richard Plantagenet's rule over England. Lancaster had won and York was put to shame. A few of the Rose Crusaders had been captured and were awaiting trial while many suffered the pain of death.

Of those who suffered death was one Lord Crawford. Lord Crawford had rode to battle alongside the king as well as Seto Christian Rosenkreuz, battling for a Yorkist victory. However, the young Lancaster knight called Tristan of Wales had smote the white haired lord with his sword, staining the ground with crimson blood.

Henry Tudor now King Henry VII, had took the throne and began the Tudor dynasty. He married Tea, Princess of York to create unifying ties. His mother, Margaret Mai Beaufort had remarried and was now Dowager Queen Margaret Mai Beaufort Wheeler. Henry's reign proceeded with his creation of the Court Star Chamber…

"Gyaa!" the sound of a white haired peasant screamed as a guard brought a whip down on his back. Ryo Bakura had struggled not to scream, but the last crack had been brought down on his old wounds… wounds that had yet not healed. He didn't understand what they were doing, they had accused him of stealing in the market, but he had done nothing.

The guard laughed, his beady black eyes twinkling, "Heh, he can feel pain!" Ryo Bakura's wide, innocent brown eyes stared at the wall before him. Why, oh why did this always happen to him? Back in the Arabian lands, they also accused him of stealing. He was sick of it, so he packed his things one night and boarded a ship to England. But his bad luck followed him here too… and here he was, being whipped for a crime he did not do… at least back in the Arabian lands, he was only starved for a couple of days.

As the guard whipped the helpless foreigner, the doors to the dungeon opened, revealing a young man with tri-colored hair. "What do you think you're doing to that man?"

Startled, the guard turned to look into fierce violet eyes, "My king, I-I-I was j-just teaching him a lesson!" Fearing he would be reprimanded for insolence, the guard shut his eyes, "You needn't have taken this job," the guard shivered wondering what the king would do. Would he lock him up with all the other criminals here? "You could have sent this peasant to the Chamber." The guard was baffled; he wasn't being reprimanded at all!

The king gestured towards the scarred albino, "Well, I think he still has some life left in him. Why don't you hand him off at the square." The guard knew it was an order not a suggestion.

Ryo sat numb, aware that the king had shown his disgust for him. He felt his form being dragged up, towards the sun… and its people. He was aware now that whispers were being passed. He heard many, "Hmph! Serves him right for stealing my bread!" "Pity! I tell you Isadora; it is the parents' fault! Why I-"

The guard had tied the albino's wrists and ankles down and began to spin the wheel.

Ryo heard a splat and felt something run down his leg. Then another collided in his face; a trickle of the substance ran down his throat… egg he guessed. His head began to spin as blood rushed up and down with the wheel's spinning. There was laughter and taunting. Ryo was now aware of the tears running down his face, oh how he wished he never left the Arabian lands and the smell of the wondrous spices and the mysteries of the alchemists!

The rich, silky light blue cloak did little to keep her warm in this Northern weather. Ilanah Arella walked through this 'modern' town, ignoring the stares she was receiving from various Northerners. "Princess," her bodyguard, Marik Ishtar was walking alongside her, his purple cloak wrapped around his tanned form. His semi what white hair had always been an interesting subject to stare at when Ilanah was bored. Marik's voice had dropped into a whisper, knowing fully well how the young princess did not wish to attract attention due to her status, "Princess, are you sure you do not want me to acquire some horses? It would be much easier and safer to do so." Ilanah rolled her hazel eyes, inwardly chuckling at her bodyguard's protectiveness.

It seemed odd that a bodyguard like him was worried about her. Sure, it was his duty, but it was quite queer since he was only twenty, just a year older than her. "Marik, I appreciate your concern, but I am quite certain that we will be fine. And how many times must I ask you not to call princess?" She knew what was coming next, "Nevertheless, Ilanah, we cannot take a risk," he gestured for her attention, "Stay here, I will get the horses."

The young woman stood, feeling restless every moment. She heard laughter from a crowd and her curiosity awakened. She turned to see Marik heading towards her; she signaled to him that she was going to see what was so interesting.

Ilanah stood on her toes wondering what everyone seemed so happy about. She jumped and caught sight of white hair and pale body. She jumped again, aware that her clothes underneath were jingling (A/N: She has Arabian clothes, so there are gold designs attached to her clothes… think of an Arabian dancer), but she cared nothing for it. As she jumped she caught sight of scars running across the pale boy's body.

She gasped in horror! They were torturing him! Ilanah ran back to her bodyguard, her black hair splashed across her face. "We have to help him!" Her bodyguard looked at her curiously, "Help whom?" "That boy! They're torturing him! Please Marik, we can't just stand back and watch them do this!" "Ilanah, this is a different country, we cannot just tell them to back off! Plus he is probably being taught a lesson." Ilanah growled in anger, "I felt that he's innocent! I command you to help him!" Marik sighed as her eyes radiated anger, _'Always an angel at heart…'_

"But what do you want me to do? We can't just be seen." Ilanah gestured towards him and whispered in his ear.

Ryo felt himself being caked with rotten food, wondering why he deserved this. Suddenly he felt the wheel stop and the sound of an arrow whizzing near his ear. Great, now they were hurling arrows at him. The ropes on his hand drizzled away and Ryo felt himself being carried off… the sound of a horse galloping across town.

Ilanah had watched as Marik rode his horse to the pale boy. She had fired her arrows (they were hidden under her cloak) and missed the man spinning the wheel of death as she termed it. The second arrow had pierced the back of the man's heart.

Marik rode the black horse through, his purple hood over his head and shadowing his face. Pulling out a knife, he cut the pale boy's bonds and carried him off to his mistress.

Ilanah nodded her approval and appreciation, her hood also up over her head. "Thank you my friend. Now let us go back our lodging." Together, they rode off into the woods, ignoring the outcries and threats of the people behind them.

"What!" King Henry 'Yami' bellowed as a peasant informed him of the news. "Calm yourself my love," Tea said soothingly watching as her husband leapt from his chair and paced before the throne. "How can I be calm Tea? A person is freeing our prisoners when they should be punished for what they have done!"

Tea blanched, fearing that the king would take out his anger on her. She steadied her voice to keep calm, "Well, put it this way," the king stopped pacing and turned his glaring eyes on his wife, "At least it you had sent that boy instead of Seto Christian Rosenkreuz."


	2. Seto Christian Rosenkreuz

A/N: I'm aware I had not done this in the last chapter and I am truly sorry. So I have taken the liberty of doing the task now; I do not own Yu Gi Oh or the characters involved. I also do not own the Duelist of the Rose plot (and neither does the company because it was based on a historical war), but I do own my Original characters.

…On with the story!!!

-Chapter 2-

Last time…

"_What!" King Henry 'Yami' bellowed as a peasant informed him of the news. "Calm yourself my love," Tea said soothingly watching as her husband leapt from his chair and paced before the throne. "How can I be calm Tea? A person is freeing our prisoners when they should be punished for what they have done!" _

_Tea blanched, fearing that the king would take out his anger on her. She steadied her voice to keep calm, "Well, put it this way," the king stopped pacing and turned his glaring eyes on his wife, "At least it you had sent that boy instead of Seto Christian Rosenkreuz."_

The dark prison echoed with the screaming of agonized criminals and innocents.

Sounds of whips and the rattle of chains bounced of the walls making inmates cringe at their own fate.

One particular cell was closed off with the king's top guards were stationed outside the door. This cell was shrouded in darkness, except for the little light the streamed from the torch outside his prison and the small barred window inside.

At the moment, it's occupant slept soundly, without any care of his fate or that of others. The thick brown hair that fell to his eyes was stained with sweat and his body lay limp, covered in blood and recovering from the abuse the night before. Here lay Seto Christian Rosenkreuz, a prisoner of war who wasn't going to be executed anytime soon.

A swish of a cloak and the sound of a gruff voice barking orders alerted Seto. The sound of the creaking door produced the tiniest smirk on his lips, as he knew who was in his presence. "King Yami," he drawled, "T o what do I owe the displeasure?" The visitor growled, clearly stating that he was not one to be messed with.

"So, you still have ways to make my kingdom suffer do you?" Seto snorted, "Oh yes, absolutely! While I'm locked away, I can still slip a message or two, telling fellow nobles to help me from this godforsaken place you call a prison!" Yami's hands fingered the sword on his waist, "Do not toy with me traitor!" Seto's blue eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim lighting. "Now why would I do that?"

Yami's eyes blazed with rage; Seto really knew how to aggravate him, after all, his presence alone was possibly worse than a conversation with the devil himself. "I received information that you had been communicating with that foreign prisoner for some time… Bakura I believe." "The innocent thief? Yes… I remember, they hauled him away this morning for his punishment."

Yami paced the small area of his cell, "The guards have told me you and the thief happened to be cell partners for some time." Seto raised a brow, "And?" "You and him were scheming!" Seto's laugh echoed throughout the prison, deafening the sounds of torture and malice, "Oh! What a riot! This has certainly made my day!" "I know you were up to something! I had dismissed that boy to the square!" Seto ceased his laughter upon hearing the boy's fate; left to a pack of vultures to feed off his liver. "You obviously had something to do with his escape!!!" Seto looked confused, fortunately, the king was unable to see his expression because of the dim light.

"Escape? Perhaps if your king were not so feeble minded," Seto's cold blue eyes glared at Yami from behind the bars. "You would remember I was stripped of my title, my power, and what standing I had in society." Seto smirked in pleasure as Yami's figure shook with anger before him.

Yami's cape snapped behind him as he turned to walk out of the dungeon. "One hundred lashes!" he yelled to the guards.

Seto cringed and sucked air through his teeth as intense pain washed over him once more as the guards dragged him to his punishment. "Been a cheeky little bugger haven't ya." The guard laughed as he shoved Seto on his knees and brandished the whip.

Seto felt the whip crack as it sliced through the air and left a long print along his back. The sticky ooze of blood seeped through his ragged clothes. He cringed with each whip, but refused to scream… "Seven!" The burning sensation made him growl, swallowing at the pain etched into his throat. "Thirteen!" Seto felt darkness wash over him as the whip continued to lash at his back… he welcomed the numbness, he welcomed the prospect of death.

A/N: It's a very short chapter… but the next one will be longer! - That I promise…


	3. A Fateful Encounter Part 1

Chapter 3 (Part 1)

Bright daylight coursed its way into blinking blue eyes. Ryo slowly pieced reality together, with it bringing pain to run across his body. He felt sore, tired, weak, hungry, and thirsty. He grasped the white sheets in front of him and attempted to sit up to no avail.

The room lay silent and still. Nothing moved or spoke except for the flittering birds outside the fluttering curtains. Ryo lay back on the bed, touching the now dressed wounds. His eyes showed fear, but mostly confusion. How long ago had he been at the square? What had happened? All he could remember was the spinning and the objects colliding with his body… with the blood splattering this way and that… he could still taste it… the iron, warm taste of his own blood.

"Hnnnnggg!" Ryo turned his head to the side, looking at figure walking under the door's threshold. Ryo attempted once again to sit up and parted his lips looking fearful at the frowning face. "Hhhhaaaauuu…" he croaked out, his throat dry and parched.

Marik's frown deepened as the fair skinned boy coughed vehemently. Cold water drizzled into a bowl and Marik's tanned hands lifted it up slowly to the pale figure's cracked lips. "Drink," he told him.

Fear was written across Ryo's face; nevertheless he drank greedily, having been deprived of water during his last torment. Cold water seeped into the cracks of his lips and down his throat, easing the dryness and refreshing his body.

His voice wheezed, trying to form words, "What happened? Who are you?"

"It was not easy avoiding the angry lot. We rode deep here into the woods, only to find that we had no means of accommodations." Marik set the bowl down and sighed, recalling the events of the boy's rescue, "Fortunately, we ran into a humble woodlander who happened to despise the king… and here we are." Ryo hung his head and smiled bashfully up at his rescuer, "I thank you kindly sir. I am bound to a life debt to you sir." Marik chuckled loudly, "It is not I to whom you are indebted to… it is the princess." Ryo started, "Princess? I was not aware King Yami had a daughter… nevertheless a sister even."

Marik's violet eyes lit with laughter and amusement, "No… not princess of this land. The princess of Arabia; princess Ila-" a look of amazement and honor etched its way into Ryo's face "Princess Ilanah?!" Marik's face twisted into confusion, "Yes… you familiar with her?"

Ryo smiled, "Of course… everyone there is… she's very kind." Marik couldn't disagree with him… though she did question authority too much.

A/N: I know you all have been waiting for this… and I am soooo very sorry that it's short…. But it's part one…. It's been hectic these past few weeks… darn schoolwork…


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